This is the video of me preaching at Truett Seminary Chapel on Feb. 2nd.
Title: When the Bad Guy Wins. Text: Luke 10:25-37
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Monday, February 15, 2010
I'm Famous Too!
Okay, no. I'm not a local hero; I've not won any superbowls or met the president. I haven't started my own business making cute glutton free cupcakes or designed commercials for TV, but I am on TV... sort of.
This is the video of me preaching at Truett Seminary Chapel on Feb. 2nd.
Title: When the Bad Guy Wins. Text: Luke 10:25-37
This is the video of me preaching at Truett Seminary Chapel on Feb. 2nd.
Title: When the Bad Guy Wins. Text: Luke 10:25-37
Saturday, February 13, 2010
A First and a Second
I spent a long weekend (Thurs-Sat) in one of my four "hometowns," Waco, TX. And surprise surprise, it was a great visit.
I drove up in the rain, then the hail and finally the snow to attend George W. Truett Seminary's Winter Pastor's School. And for the first time in my life, I attended every part of the conference. From the Truett Alumni Dinner on Thursday to the final session on Saturday morning, I participated 100% of the conference. Wasn't even tardy once - not even to the morning activities!
This is unusual because usually at conferences the point is two-fold: to receive inspiration through the teaching or seminars or whatever but also to relax - take time for yourself, chill in a hotel, check out a local museum, take a break from church. In this way the conferences are restorative. Education and vacation all in one.
But this conference was in Waco. It's not an exciting destination. There's no aquarium to see, no national gallery to visit, no real sight-seeing opportunities. And even if there were... been there, done that. On top of that, while I had old friends to catch up with, I had been to Truett two weeks before to preach and had already caught up with many of them.
Not to mention that the real reason I had come to this conference was because my favorite Old Testament scholar, Walter Brueggemann was speaking on Prophetic Preaching. Squeal!
And that's where my second comes in. Two years ago in 08, I was invited to participate in a Round Table Discussion with Walt in Atlanta. That gathering was so small that I SAT NEXT to this amazing scholar. So this was my second time to hear him and I was excited. So excited in fact that I printed off a picture of him and me from the conference two years ago and re-introduced myself to Dr. Brueggemann and asked him to sign the picture.
He wrote, "We look good together!" and then handed it to me and laughed.
I almost died.
It was an amazing conference. He spoke about the dominant narrative we live in, namely one of therapeutic, militant, technological, consumerism. He charged us as pastors to preach God's alternative narrative of hope and possibility. He charged us to help our congregations penetrate the denial, name the fear and muster the courage and freedom of the reality over which God governs. He charged us to relinquish and receive; to deconstruct the given world and help people relinquish it (as Walt's therapist says, "Do you wanna keep livin' that way or let it go?"; to construct another world and help people receive what is given. Why? Because God brings to nothing the things that are, and calls into existence things that do not exist. God is a god of the impossible. And what exactly must we relinquish in our modern context? We must relinquish the western, white, male, straight world of domination and invite into the story the poor, women, non-whites, gays and lesbians. But just like ancient Israel, we struggle to receive the new world God is giving us of new people and new economics. And in light of our upcoming Christian liturgical season, we must take the Friday stuff and the Sunday stuff and be a map for what's happening in the world.
Of course he took two days to exegete texts and explain his thesis, but there's a little to whet your appetite.
And if being reminded of our faith and called to God's new narrative of hope and possibility, of building up and planting weren't enough, I got to see the Eades.
The Eades are the family I lived with during most of my years in Waco. Wes (the dad) once called me his boomerang child (the one who just kept coming back). The youngest daughter, Olivia, was six when I moved into the house apartment... and is now 14. Yikes. And she's 5'7. I can't believe I used to hold her on my lap. And it was just like old times. All five of them were living there (before the oldest transfers to Tx State and the middle son moves to Missouri to start college) perhaps for the last time in a long time, or ever. We sat around in the living room just like they always have (it was too cold to sit on the porch) and drank wine and watched Glee and talked therapy and discussed what it means to be a neighbor. And of course we laughed at each other. It was so fun.
Tomorrow I'm back to work for an almost 12 hour day straight thru. College Bible study is Monday and I begin directing You Can't Take It With You on Tuesday. Life will be crazy from here on out. So it was nice to have a preemptive replenishing before I inevitably will be depleted.
And first and a second. And now on to my third...
I drove up in the rain, then the hail and finally the snow to attend George W. Truett Seminary's Winter Pastor's School. And for the first time in my life, I attended every part of the conference. From the Truett Alumni Dinner on Thursday to the final session on Saturday morning, I participated 100% of the conference. Wasn't even tardy once - not even to the morning activities!
This is unusual because usually at conferences the point is two-fold: to receive inspiration through the teaching or seminars or whatever but also to relax - take time for yourself, chill in a hotel, check out a local museum, take a break from church. In this way the conferences are restorative. Education and vacation all in one.
But this conference was in Waco. It's not an exciting destination. There's no aquarium to see, no national gallery to visit, no real sight-seeing opportunities. And even if there were... been there, done that. On top of that, while I had old friends to catch up with, I had been to Truett two weeks before to preach and had already caught up with many of them.
Not to mention that the real reason I had come to this conference was because my favorite Old Testament scholar, Walter Brueggemann was speaking on Prophetic Preaching. Squeal!
And that's where my second comes in. Two years ago in 08, I was invited to participate in a Round Table Discussion with Walt in Atlanta. That gathering was so small that I SAT NEXT to this amazing scholar. So this was my second time to hear him and I was excited. So excited in fact that I printed off a picture of him and me from the conference two years ago and re-introduced myself to Dr. Brueggemann and asked him to sign the picture.
He wrote, "We look good together!" and then handed it to me and laughed.
I almost died.
It was an amazing conference. He spoke about the dominant narrative we live in, namely one of therapeutic, militant, technological, consumerism. He charged us as pastors to preach God's alternative narrative of hope and possibility. He charged us to help our congregations penetrate the denial, name the fear and muster the courage and freedom of the reality over which God governs. He charged us to relinquish and receive; to deconstruct the given world and help people relinquish it (as Walt's therapist says, "Do you wanna keep livin' that way or let it go?"; to construct another world and help people receive what is given. Why? Because God brings to nothing the things that are, and calls into existence things that do not exist. God is a god of the impossible. And what exactly must we relinquish in our modern context? We must relinquish the western, white, male, straight world of domination and invite into the story the poor, women, non-whites, gays and lesbians. But just like ancient Israel, we struggle to receive the new world God is giving us of new people and new economics. And in light of our upcoming Christian liturgical season, we must take the Friday stuff and the Sunday stuff and be a map for what's happening in the world.
Of course he took two days to exegete texts and explain his thesis, but there's a little to whet your appetite.
And if being reminded of our faith and called to God's new narrative of hope and possibility, of building up and planting weren't enough, I got to see the Eades.
The Eades are the family I lived with during most of my years in Waco. Wes (the dad) once called me his boomerang child (the one who just kept coming back). The youngest daughter, Olivia, was six when I moved into the house apartment... and is now 14. Yikes. And she's 5'7. I can't believe I used to hold her on my lap. And it was just like old times. All five of them were living there (before the oldest transfers to Tx State and the middle son moves to Missouri to start college) perhaps for the last time in a long time, or ever. We sat around in the living room just like they always have (it was too cold to sit on the porch) and drank wine and watched Glee and talked therapy and discussed what it means to be a neighbor. And of course we laughed at each other. It was so fun.
Tomorrow I'm back to work for an almost 12 hour day straight thru. College Bible study is Monday and I begin directing You Can't Take It With You on Tuesday. Life will be crazy from here on out. So it was nice to have a preemptive replenishing before I inevitably will be depleted.
And first and a second. And now on to my third...
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Changes On the Home Front
This is a year of changes.
"Your couch has fleas on it," she said to me over the phone.
"No, YOUR couch has fleas on it," I wanted to respond like an eight year old child.
My house is slowly beginning to wear on me, so the idea that the fleas may have been reborn in between cold spells already here in Austin and have run their buggy little selves into my house and onto my couch from my cats who I didn't give anti-flea medicine to in January because it's JANUARY and why would fleas be alive in January anyway...
But it's not the fleas. They were just the most recent annoyance (and I'm not even convinced yet that they're here although I have of course treated all the animals and am buying stuff to spray the yard and bomb the house with this weekend...)
The flooding started it. And now I have a room that I know was never registered to be up to code and so floods unnecessarily and does god only knows what else to my house. Does it have insulation? How is its even staying attached to my house? Is it straining the roof? When is the next downfall of rain that will bring more water in from the floor? Should I get gutters or change the leveling of the dirt? Or do I re-do the room?
But then I got vertigo. Now what in the world do my ears have to do with my house, you may ask and rightfully so. But when I went to an ENT doctor and he begin examining my ears and my nose, he asked me if I wanted to do something about my allergies. "Yes," I replied. "I've actually been asking my doctor to help me with that for years now."
"Well I can help you."
And next thing I know I'm being given shots twice a week, using neti-rinse every morning and nose squirts and buying a bedding cover and an air purifier and tearing up the carpet in my house because, you guessed it, I'm allergice to dust mites.
And cats.
And we're back to the house issues.
No. I'm going to talk to y'all about the cat allergies, I don't even want to hear about it. My ENT and I already argued over the issue.
Back to the carpet. See pulling up carpet means doing something with the nasty mess underneath. Do I put down wood or laminate flooring? Too expensive (even if it ups the value of my house) and I'm allergic to almost every wood tree. Do I stain the concrete? Is it even salvagable in that way? What about tile? Too expensive? Too hard for the dog to walk on? Do I get rugs to cover the floor or does that defeat the purpose of no carpet?
AUGH!
"Don't go outside." That was my ENT's first recommendation for treating my allergies. "But since that's probably not an option, let's look at some other things you can do."
And that's how we ended up at the carpets. I need a personal house manager. I need my own Holmes on my Home.
New game plan. Marry a construction worker who doesn't take shortcuts.
Changes people. Big changes.
And I'm not sure I have the money or the courage to make them.
"Your couch has fleas on it," she said to me over the phone.
"No, YOUR couch has fleas on it," I wanted to respond like an eight year old child.
My house is slowly beginning to wear on me, so the idea that the fleas may have been reborn in between cold spells already here in Austin and have run their buggy little selves into my house and onto my couch from my cats who I didn't give anti-flea medicine to in January because it's JANUARY and why would fleas be alive in January anyway...
But it's not the fleas. They were just the most recent annoyance (and I'm not even convinced yet that they're here although I have of course treated all the animals and am buying stuff to spray the yard and bomb the house with this weekend...)
The flooding started it. And now I have a room that I know was never registered to be up to code and so floods unnecessarily and does god only knows what else to my house. Does it have insulation? How is its even staying attached to my house? Is it straining the roof? When is the next downfall of rain that will bring more water in from the floor? Should I get gutters or change the leveling of the dirt? Or do I re-do the room?
But then I got vertigo. Now what in the world do my ears have to do with my house, you may ask and rightfully so. But when I went to an ENT doctor and he begin examining my ears and my nose, he asked me if I wanted to do something about my allergies. "Yes," I replied. "I've actually been asking my doctor to help me with that for years now."
"Well I can help you."
And next thing I know I'm being given shots twice a week, using neti-rinse every morning and nose squirts and buying a bedding cover and an air purifier and tearing up the carpet in my house because, you guessed it, I'm allergice to dust mites.
And cats.
And we're back to the house issues.
No. I'm going to talk to y'all about the cat allergies, I don't even want to hear about it. My ENT and I already argued over the issue.
Back to the carpet. See pulling up carpet means doing something with the nasty mess underneath. Do I put down wood or laminate flooring? Too expensive (even if it ups the value of my house) and I'm allergic to almost every wood tree. Do I stain the concrete? Is it even salvagable in that way? What about tile? Too expensive? Too hard for the dog to walk on? Do I get rugs to cover the floor or does that defeat the purpose of no carpet?
AUGH!
"Don't go outside." That was my ENT's first recommendation for treating my allergies. "But since that's probably not an option, let's look at some other things you can do."
And that's how we ended up at the carpets. I need a personal house manager. I need my own Holmes on my Home.
New game plan. Marry a construction worker who doesn't take shortcuts.
Changes people. Big changes.
And I'm not sure I have the money or the courage to make them.
Monday, February 08, 2010
The Living Among the Dead
This is crazy! But amazing. A 28 year old man pulled from rubble today in Haiti, four weeks after the earthquake was still ALIVE!
Super Bowls and Super Toilets
While I spent the Super Bowl mooring over my friends, Rod and Ronda's Super Toilet Bowl, the rest of my church and the nation watched an amazing game last night. Unfortunately, I got food poisoning from my lunch yesterday and didn't get to indulge in the BBQ that my friends made or in the rallying around the TV set (Rod and Ronda quietly moved me upstairs where I would have my own bathroom and TV and couch to "do my own thing" during the big game.) The funny part is that I was watching it live while everyone else was watching it a few minutes behind on TV downstairs. So when I hobbled down after the game they said, "Don't you say anything to tell us the outcome of this game!" and sent me back upstairs.
But it was a super bowl with some great leadership by both Drew and Payton. Here are some quotes from my facebook friends. Also, here is a news broadcast about my church and Drew and his grandparents (who, along with his parents and younger sister, still attend my church).
"I do have to also say that as proud as I am of how humble of a winner Drew Brees was, I'm also pleased with how Payton Manning was truly a gracious loser. And I mean "loser" in the most respectful way, commenting on the score of the game, not on the man's character. What a blessing to have two leaders who are actually good role models for how to be gracious and honorable in the spotlight." - Carleigh Chapman
"Drew Brees the Quarterback and Drew Brees the person are exceptional. He speaks of his 'moment' as 'calling' as 'destiny' as 'God's work.' This catches our breath because New Orleans so needed this moment, this leadership. It also catches our breath because it goes against everything we see in the celebrity world. Thanks for who you are Drew." Rev. Dr. Roger Paynter
And of course, Drew on The Tonight Show with David Letterman...
But it was a super bowl with some great leadership by both Drew and Payton. Here are some quotes from my facebook friends. Also, here is a news broadcast about my church and Drew and his grandparents (who, along with his parents and younger sister, still attend my church).
"I do have to also say that as proud as I am of how humble of a winner Drew Brees was, I'm also pleased with how Payton Manning was truly a gracious loser. And I mean "loser" in the most respectful way, commenting on the score of the game, not on the man's character. What a blessing to have two leaders who are actually good role models for how to be gracious and honorable in the spotlight." - Carleigh Chapman
"Drew Brees the Quarterback and Drew Brees the person are exceptional. He speaks of his 'moment' as 'calling' as 'destiny' as 'God's work.' This catches our breath because New Orleans so needed this moment, this leadership. It also catches our breath because it goes against everything we see in the celebrity world. Thanks for who you are Drew." Rev. Dr. Roger Paynter
And of course, Drew on The Tonight Show with David Letterman...
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Dumb and Dumber
Dear Stupid Christians and especially Stupid Baptists.
Please stop making the rest of us look bad.
Please stop going to Haiti to be missionaries. Please let the professionals and those who speak the language do the work that needs to be done. If you want to be helpful, give money to worthwhile organizations already in the midst of helping Haitians and feel free to pray. Just stop holding up rehabilitation efforts by doing stupid things like this. It's not normal, it's not biblical and you should all receive a psychological evaluation.
You make it hard for me to do my job.
Sincerely,
Rev. Ann Pittman, (not the best Baptist and sometimes more of a bitchy Baptist, but prayerfully not a stupid Baptist).
P.S. Here's places to give, things to do and updates from people on the ground...
Partners In Health
Doctors Without Borders
World Vision
United Nations World Food Programme
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Texas Baptists
Baptist World Alliance
Please stop making the rest of us look bad.
Please stop going to Haiti to be missionaries. Please let the professionals and those who speak the language do the work that needs to be done. If you want to be helpful, give money to worthwhile organizations already in the midst of helping Haitians and feel free to pray. Just stop holding up rehabilitation efforts by doing stupid things like this. It's not normal, it's not biblical and you should all receive a psychological evaluation.
You make it hard for me to do my job.
Sincerely,
Rev. Ann Pittman, (not the best Baptist and sometimes more of a bitchy Baptist, but prayerfully not a stupid Baptist).
P.S. Here's places to give, things to do and updates from people on the ground...
Partners In Health
Doctors Without Borders
World Vision
United Nations World Food Programme
The Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
Texas Baptists
Baptist World Alliance
Moving Up
"I'm happy at my job."
I want to say to them,
to them who don't say anything to me.
"You asked for my resume, remember?"
So of course it doesn't bother me that they haven't called twice
haven't emailed twice
haven't even responded to receiving my resume.
Only that initial communication,
"Would you mind sending us your resume?"
still sits in my inbox
in my mind
making me think i'm important
or wanted anywhere other than where i am
which is happy
at my current job
and not wanting to explore
or advance my career
or make more money.
I'm perfectly content right where I am.
not moving up.
I want to say to them,
to them who don't say anything to me.
"You asked for my resume, remember?"
So of course it doesn't bother me that they haven't called twice
haven't emailed twice
haven't even responded to receiving my resume.
Only that initial communication,
"Would you mind sending us your resume?"
still sits in my inbox
in my mind
making me think i'm important
or wanted anywhere other than where i am
which is happy
at my current job
and not wanting to explore
or advance my career
or make more money.
I'm perfectly content right where I am.
not moving up.
Monday, January 25, 2010
More Freaky Airbrush Scandals
I like this "article" cause it's not exactly an article, rather, pictures of before and after shots of airbrushed celebrities (skinny and plus sized). The article, Unattainable Beauty: The Decades Biggest Airbrushing Scandals, is published by Newsweek and cites some of the models reactions to discovering they'd been airbrushed. Of course, Ralph Lauren takes the cake... again. Gross, guys.
Happy Birthday January 25ers...
There are a lot of you. But just to highlight a few...
Happy Birthday girls! (and happy birthday to my co-worker Kevin and my boss's son Grayson and an old friend from college, Amanda and...)
Happy Birthday girls! (and happy birthday to my co-worker Kevin and my boss's son Grayson and an old friend from college, Amanda and...)
Sunday, January 24, 2010
My Friends Are Famous III
Augh! You guys are jealous of me cause I know so many famous people, right? Well, here's another one. This is my friend Ben DeLeon. He won "Big Brother of the Year" award in the United States last year and so in honor of Mentoring Month, he and his "little brother" Anthony were invited to Washington DC where Anthony got to introduce none other than the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES! And a good president at that! This of course means that I am now only one degree away from President Obama in the Six Degrees of Separation Game!
So if you've got 15 minutes, here's the White House's appeal for mentoring and here's when Anthony introduces the President (around minute five). And my friend Ben is just to the right of the President and he's wearing a red tie. If you've only got a minute or two, here's an article from our local news.
This was actually a pretty big week for our church truthfully. We had Ben in the White House and Drew Brees heading to the Superbowl. Pretty exciting!!! (P.S. Oddly enough, Ben and Drew graduated together from a local high school here. So I guess here's a shout out to Westlake High for some excellent mentoring of their own students!)
So if you've got 15 minutes, here's the White House's appeal for mentoring and here's when Anthony introduces the President (around minute five). And my friend Ben is just to the right of the President and he's wearing a red tie. If you've only got a minute or two, here's an article from our local news.
This was actually a pretty big week for our church truthfully. We had Ben in the White House and Drew Brees heading to the Superbowl. Pretty exciting!!! (P.S. Oddly enough, Ben and Drew graduated together from a local high school here. So I guess here's a shout out to Westlake High for some excellent mentoring of their own students!)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Science and Faith
For those of you who live in Austin, or nearby, FBC is hosting a Science and Faith Conference on this Saturday. You'll hear presentations from a geologist/old testament scholar, physicist/string theorist, and a Bapto-Catholic theologian.
So that should be interesting.
If you want to come, you need to make a reservation with Karen in the church office 512-476-2625. It's $35 bucks to attend, but that includes lunch and snacks. If you're uber poor, we have scholarships.
Remember when Trinity Street Players did Inherit the Wind last spring? That was in preparation for this conference (which was originally scheduled for last year).
Maybe we'll see you there...
So that should be interesting.
If you want to come, you need to make a reservation with Karen in the church office 512-476-2625. It's $35 bucks to attend, but that includes lunch and snacks. If you're uber poor, we have scholarships.
Remember when Trinity Street Players did Inherit the Wind last spring? That was in preparation for this conference (which was originally scheduled for last year).
Maybe we'll see you there...
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
James Cameron Acceptance Speech
"If we have to visit another planet hundreds of light years away in order to appreciate this one..."
then SHAME ON US.
then SHAME ON US.
Friday, January 15, 2010
China Is My Second Biggest Pet Peeve
Finally. Someone's standing up to this oppressive giant. Take note world, and let's fight for freedom from poverty, freedom from war and freedom from ignorance.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Obadiah
Entire Text Here.
Congratulations. You’ve now read the entire book of Obadiah. Add that to your list of books read. When I was younger and I’d get bored during church, I’d turn to the smallest books in the Bible and read them. Then after church I’d think I was really hot stuff cause I’d read a whole book of the Bible or maybe even three!
I was a little off kilter when I was young.
Gloating about Bible book reading must have been a sure-tell sign that I was born to be a biblical nerd or a maybe a scholarly minister but now you too can join our ranks because you too just finished a whole book of the Bible.
Placed between Amos and Jonah, Obadiah serves as a bridge between these Minor Prophets. Other than that, we know very little about Obadiah. Because Obadiah translates, “servant of the Lord,” we don’t even know if Obadiah was the prophet’s real name or if it is just a title. Neither do we know in what time period Obadiah wrote or to what exact situation Israel was experiencing.
In general the prophets wrote during one of four time periods. They wrote during the United Monarchy, to either Kings Saul, David or Solomon. Or they wrote during the Divided Monarchy when God’s people were split into two nations: Israel and Judah. And the prophets during that time wrote to one specific group of people, either Israel or Judah. Or the prophets wrote during the Exile, after Babylon had come along and carted everyone away from their beloved promised land. Or the prophets wrote during the reign of the Persians when the Israelites were allowed to return home after Exile.
Scholars guess that Obadiah was written during the Exile, but there’s no definitive on that, so I feel uncomfortable pinning Obi down on that either.
So if we don’t know who he was or when he wrote or to whom he wrote, what do we know?
We know that Edom and Israel, the two nations to whom the vision or speech is primarily addressed, had a very tumultuous relationship. It started, as you may have guessed, with Jacob and Esau. From Jacob’s lineage we get the people-group of Israel and from Esau’s lineage we get the people of Edom.
Jacob and Esau were born twins and from the beginning they came out struggling. Jacob started it by holding onto Esau’s heel while they travelled from the womb into the real world as if trying to yank Esau back in so he could come out first. Then as teens, Jacob stole the birthright from his brother and later his blessing too. Fearing for his life, Jacob takes off for his mother’s homeland as robbing Esau of all his rights as the firstborn son would surely be tantamount to a death sentence. We don’t hear about Esau again until much later. By the time Esau enters the story again, Jacob’s got four wives, eleven sons and at least one daughter and is terrified to meet up with his brother whose hate for Jacob should have surely boiled to brimming by now. However, instead of a brotherly brawl or worse yet, a war between the two huge families, Esau grabs Jacob in a bear hug and Jacob describes looking into his brother’s eyes as seeing the face of God.
Pretty dramatic.
But potentially five to seven hundred years later, that spirit of forgiveness is gone. Israel has spent much time ruling over Edom, much to Edom’s chagrin, and probably for the not so noble purposes of controlling the port on the Gulf of Aqabah rather than in the spirit of keeping the family together.
So when Assyria conquers the nation of Israel and then Babylon comes in and finishes off Judah, the Edomites are more than ready to help retaliate against their former brothers and sisters.
And that makes God mad.
Sometimes God gets mad at Israel and sometimes God gets mad at Israel’s enemies. It just depends on which prophet you’re reading and who’s been misbehaving. Hyun Chul Paul Kim says that “Edom’s failure to keep kinship solidarity with Israel, especially during the time of calamity, is forcefully portrayed in Edom’s cruel cowardice and atrocities.” But that’s in Obadiah.
Lest you think that God’s only on Israel’s side, let’s not forget why Babylon was able to conquer the Israelites in the first place. The book of Amos clearly states that when “justice rolls down like a might water,” it rolls down against the Israelites. They had been sitting around like lazy old cows, enjoying their wealth, oppressing the poor and not providing for the widows or orphans. And so God lets the Israelites be conquered by Babylon and carted off to a foreign country where they would almost lose all hope and all faith in their God and in their place in the world.
Of course, they don’t lose all hope and despite singing multiple refrains of “Please don’t make us sing this song,” under the Persian rule of King Cyrus, they return to their homeland to rebuild the Temple only now with the understanding that indeed their God doesn’t only live in a Temple, in a certain land, but also lives in their hearts.
In Obadiah though, it’s the Edomites who are misbehaving. It’s Edom who operates with a “who’s in and who’s out” mentality that shuts out those who at one time were their brothers and sisters. It’s Edom who’s forgotten the love of their forefather, Esau towards his disobedient and manipulative brother Jacob. Edom has forgotten their roots.
And now, they’re in big trouble. You can’t be prideful and gloat over your neighbor’s misfortune and expect to get away with it. You can’t go in and take whatever’s leftover after your neighbor has already been robbed. It’s wrong and you will be held accountable. I picture Edom in this text a little like M. and Mme. Thenardie the innkeepers and thieves in the musical Les Miserables. After the battle in the second act, they are found in the sewers stealing the watches and jewelry and boots and gold teeth off the men, even the boys who died. They have no sense of loyalty to one class or another; they’ll steal from anything or anyone who can’t catch them. And that’s what Edom is like. With no sense of loyalty to the Israelites, no sense of right and wrong, they out their neighbors as soon and the going gets tough and then they go on over and steal what hasn’t already been stolen.
We understand that today I think. In general, what goes around comes around. I mean, even Martha Stewart went to jail. You can’t make terrible decisions for yourself or decisions that hurt the people around you and not get busted. And while the IRS may not discover that you cheat on your taxes, or you wife may never find out that you cheated on her with the babysitter, the guilt of what you’ve done will likely give you enough grief to make it not worth it. Passing on to your children a lifestyle of take-what-you-can-now may come to bite you in the pants when you’re old and they’re arguing over which nursing home will cost them less while you’re still in the room. If you do enough finger-pointing, eventually someone’s going to point back. We reap what we sow. Especially with our families. What we teach each other and our children and how we act towards our loved ones changes the course of history. Literally.
What we do and who we are affects the people around us and if we don’t choose to live a lifestyle based on the truth that we are all one in God, then inevitably, we become like Edom: angry, bitter, prideful, deceitful, stab-you-in-the-back no-gooders who would sell out even their brothers.
In ancient cultures, like some of the most primitive instincts in men and women, when they wanted something, they fought over it. They went to war to get what they wanted whether it was land or power or people or access to water or better animals. Like children, they saw and they took. And often they attributed winning to God being on their side and losing to God not being on their side. It seems simple enough, but kind of infantile too.
And so I invite us tonight to look at this story beyond the world of war and justice and God punishing one group or another. I invite you to read the story of Obadiah the way you would read your own family history. Your family tree has lots of branches. Some of them you love and put their fruit or flowers in vases to show off their beauty, others, you’ve just chopped off entirely and thrown in the “burn pile”. Some come straight from the trunk of the tree while others stem of limb and branch and twig. This is how our families work: we privilege some, ignore others and even others we manipulate or cruelly work evil toward for our own prideful reward. This is the story of humanity. This is our story. This is the story of the church fathers and mothers. This is the story of the New Testament church. This is the story of Israel and Edom and this is the story of Jacob and Esau.
What we could accomplish in the world if we quit fighting and getting back at one another and instead fought to love each other with the entire depths of our being. What if we fought to give each other the best even if it costs us the most. What if instead of going to war with Iraq, we showered it’s common people with food and school supplies and medical instruments and education and love? What if instead of fighting over the health care bill, we accepted it and worked to help our neighbors learn how to sign up for healthcare, choose a doctor, eat right and exercise? What if instead of giving money to affluent schools with primarily white middle class children and parents, we gave the same amount of money to every school in the city of Austin? What if instead of name-calling and finger-pointing between nations and states and religions and denominations, we all worked together to see the good that everyone has to offer? What if what if what if… what if we began treating our neighbor like they were our own brother or sister?
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and God created humanity. Men and women God created them. And God called them very good.
What if we believed that?
Congratulations. You’ve now read the entire book of Obadiah. Add that to your list of books read. When I was younger and I’d get bored during church, I’d turn to the smallest books in the Bible and read them. Then after church I’d think I was really hot stuff cause I’d read a whole book of the Bible or maybe even three!
I was a little off kilter when I was young.
Gloating about Bible book reading must have been a sure-tell sign that I was born to be a biblical nerd or a maybe a scholarly minister but now you too can join our ranks because you too just finished a whole book of the Bible.
Placed between Amos and Jonah, Obadiah serves as a bridge between these Minor Prophets. Other than that, we know very little about Obadiah. Because Obadiah translates, “servant of the Lord,” we don’t even know if Obadiah was the prophet’s real name or if it is just a title. Neither do we know in what time period Obadiah wrote or to what exact situation Israel was experiencing.
In general the prophets wrote during one of four time periods. They wrote during the United Monarchy, to either Kings Saul, David or Solomon. Or they wrote during the Divided Monarchy when God’s people were split into two nations: Israel and Judah. And the prophets during that time wrote to one specific group of people, either Israel or Judah. Or the prophets wrote during the Exile, after Babylon had come along and carted everyone away from their beloved promised land. Or the prophets wrote during the reign of the Persians when the Israelites were allowed to return home after Exile.
Scholars guess that Obadiah was written during the Exile, but there’s no definitive on that, so I feel uncomfortable pinning Obi down on that either.
So if we don’t know who he was or when he wrote or to whom he wrote, what do we know?
We know that Edom and Israel, the two nations to whom the vision or speech is primarily addressed, had a very tumultuous relationship. It started, as you may have guessed, with Jacob and Esau. From Jacob’s lineage we get the people-group of Israel and from Esau’s lineage we get the people of Edom.
Jacob and Esau were born twins and from the beginning they came out struggling. Jacob started it by holding onto Esau’s heel while they travelled from the womb into the real world as if trying to yank Esau back in so he could come out first. Then as teens, Jacob stole the birthright from his brother and later his blessing too. Fearing for his life, Jacob takes off for his mother’s homeland as robbing Esau of all his rights as the firstborn son would surely be tantamount to a death sentence. We don’t hear about Esau again until much later. By the time Esau enters the story again, Jacob’s got four wives, eleven sons and at least one daughter and is terrified to meet up with his brother whose hate for Jacob should have surely boiled to brimming by now. However, instead of a brotherly brawl or worse yet, a war between the two huge families, Esau grabs Jacob in a bear hug and Jacob describes looking into his brother’s eyes as seeing the face of God.
Pretty dramatic.
But potentially five to seven hundred years later, that spirit of forgiveness is gone. Israel has spent much time ruling over Edom, much to Edom’s chagrin, and probably for the not so noble purposes of controlling the port on the Gulf of Aqabah rather than in the spirit of keeping the family together.
So when Assyria conquers the nation of Israel and then Babylon comes in and finishes off Judah, the Edomites are more than ready to help retaliate against their former brothers and sisters.
And that makes God mad.
Sometimes God gets mad at Israel and sometimes God gets mad at Israel’s enemies. It just depends on which prophet you’re reading and who’s been misbehaving. Hyun Chul Paul Kim says that “Edom’s failure to keep kinship solidarity with Israel, especially during the time of calamity, is forcefully portrayed in Edom’s cruel cowardice and atrocities.” But that’s in Obadiah.
Lest you think that God’s only on Israel’s side, let’s not forget why Babylon was able to conquer the Israelites in the first place. The book of Amos clearly states that when “justice rolls down like a might water,” it rolls down against the Israelites. They had been sitting around like lazy old cows, enjoying their wealth, oppressing the poor and not providing for the widows or orphans. And so God lets the Israelites be conquered by Babylon and carted off to a foreign country where they would almost lose all hope and all faith in their God and in their place in the world.
Of course, they don’t lose all hope and despite singing multiple refrains of “Please don’t make us sing this song,” under the Persian rule of King Cyrus, they return to their homeland to rebuild the Temple only now with the understanding that indeed their God doesn’t only live in a Temple, in a certain land, but also lives in their hearts.
In Obadiah though, it’s the Edomites who are misbehaving. It’s Edom who operates with a “who’s in and who’s out” mentality that shuts out those who at one time were their brothers and sisters. It’s Edom who’s forgotten the love of their forefather, Esau towards his disobedient and manipulative brother Jacob. Edom has forgotten their roots.
And now, they’re in big trouble. You can’t be prideful and gloat over your neighbor’s misfortune and expect to get away with it. You can’t go in and take whatever’s leftover after your neighbor has already been robbed. It’s wrong and you will be held accountable. I picture Edom in this text a little like M. and Mme. Thenardie the innkeepers and thieves in the musical Les Miserables. After the battle in the second act, they are found in the sewers stealing the watches and jewelry and boots and gold teeth off the men, even the boys who died. They have no sense of loyalty to one class or another; they’ll steal from anything or anyone who can’t catch them. And that’s what Edom is like. With no sense of loyalty to the Israelites, no sense of right and wrong, they out their neighbors as soon and the going gets tough and then they go on over and steal what hasn’t already been stolen.
We understand that today I think. In general, what goes around comes around. I mean, even Martha Stewart went to jail. You can’t make terrible decisions for yourself or decisions that hurt the people around you and not get busted. And while the IRS may not discover that you cheat on your taxes, or you wife may never find out that you cheated on her with the babysitter, the guilt of what you’ve done will likely give you enough grief to make it not worth it. Passing on to your children a lifestyle of take-what-you-can-now may come to bite you in the pants when you’re old and they’re arguing over which nursing home will cost them less while you’re still in the room. If you do enough finger-pointing, eventually someone’s going to point back. We reap what we sow. Especially with our families. What we teach each other and our children and how we act towards our loved ones changes the course of history. Literally.
What we do and who we are affects the people around us and if we don’t choose to live a lifestyle based on the truth that we are all one in God, then inevitably, we become like Edom: angry, bitter, prideful, deceitful, stab-you-in-the-back no-gooders who would sell out even their brothers.
In ancient cultures, like some of the most primitive instincts in men and women, when they wanted something, they fought over it. They went to war to get what they wanted whether it was land or power or people or access to water or better animals. Like children, they saw and they took. And often they attributed winning to God being on their side and losing to God not being on their side. It seems simple enough, but kind of infantile too.
And so I invite us tonight to look at this story beyond the world of war and justice and God punishing one group or another. I invite you to read the story of Obadiah the way you would read your own family history. Your family tree has lots of branches. Some of them you love and put their fruit or flowers in vases to show off their beauty, others, you’ve just chopped off entirely and thrown in the “burn pile”. Some come straight from the trunk of the tree while others stem of limb and branch and twig. This is how our families work: we privilege some, ignore others and even others we manipulate or cruelly work evil toward for our own prideful reward. This is the story of humanity. This is our story. This is the story of the church fathers and mothers. This is the story of the New Testament church. This is the story of Israel and Edom and this is the story of Jacob and Esau.
What we could accomplish in the world if we quit fighting and getting back at one another and instead fought to love each other with the entire depths of our being. What if we fought to give each other the best even if it costs us the most. What if instead of going to war with Iraq, we showered it’s common people with food and school supplies and medical instruments and education and love? What if instead of fighting over the health care bill, we accepted it and worked to help our neighbors learn how to sign up for healthcare, choose a doctor, eat right and exercise? What if instead of giving money to affluent schools with primarily white middle class children and parents, we gave the same amount of money to every school in the city of Austin? What if instead of name-calling and finger-pointing between nations and states and religions and denominations, we all worked together to see the good that everyone has to offer? What if what if what if… what if we began treating our neighbor like they were our own brother or sister?
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and God created humanity. Men and women God created them. And God called them very good.
What if we believed that?
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Full Disclosure
Apparently it's "de-lurking" week in blogland. I learned this from a reader who wrote me an amazing email responding to a blog i'd posted. Her name's Holly.
So... introduce yourself. If you read my blog and I don't know you or maybe I just know you by a "name" with no blog attached to it that I can read, then now's your chance.
Plus you can introduce yourselves to each other. I mean, I introduced Andee to you once and some people said that was fun to meet her. So maybe they want to meet you too.
Or maybe everyone just wants to remain anonymous. I don't know.
But if you don't, click on comment, tell us who you are and sign it.
And "it's nice to meet you."... preemptively.
So... introduce yourself. If you read my blog and I don't know you or maybe I just know you by a "name" with no blog attached to it that I can read, then now's your chance.
Plus you can introduce yourselves to each other. I mean, I introduced Andee to you once and some people said that was fun to meet her. So maybe they want to meet you too.
Or maybe everyone just wants to remain anonymous. I don't know.
But if you don't, click on comment, tell us who you are and sign it.
And "it's nice to meet you."... preemptively.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
85 Days and The Loneliest Job in the World
I haven't posted in a while about relationships. That's what happens when you give up men for 85 days and counting.
Actually, that's not true and you know it.
Cause we're always still wondering aren't we? When he'll show up? That knight in shining armor. Damn tardy but on the white horse nonetheless. It happens to everyone so when will it happen to us... to me?
My therapist gave me an assignment last week. "I know this sounds a little 'online dating-ish' but bear with me. I want you to make a list of 'must-haves' and 'can't stands.'"
Ugh.
But every time I do this I start to feel guilty because what if my Mr. Right isn't a Christian? What if he's a spiritualist and we're the perfect grounding for each other: me in religion and him in mystery? Or what if he doesn't like the theater and I teach him to love the theater and then he ends up volunteering on the board for the local community theater? Hell, I watch football now, it happens. People change one another.
And one of my main problems with men is that I usually say yes. "Yes I will go out on a date with you." Sometimes my therapist and I practice saying No back and forth to each other just so I can get used to it. But I often say yes to a date because I feel bad judging people. I feel like I shouldn't pre-judge someone on their job or their looks or what kind of car they drive or if they make too much money or how they voted in the last election. I feel like everyone deserves a chance to be themselves without my judgmental eye. So yeah, I go out with a lot of people.
"But Ann," my therapist said, "this isn't the church. Not everyone gets in. This is your bed. This is who you go to sleep with at night and who you wake up to in the morning. Be judgmental."
Whoa.
"I'll probably write a blog about that."
And now I am because tomorrow I go back to therapy and I've only got three things on my Must Have Can't Stand list and none of those even have to do with religion or God. But what my therapist said feels so profound in my heart. I want to make a list, i just can't get out of my head.
And there's no way in hell I'm telling you what the list is because I don't want to be judge by you, blogworld.
"That's so sad, Ann," my friend Jess said the other night when I shared with her my reservations about telling people about my list. "You shouldn't feel bad about saying what you want."
But I'm still not putting it on here.
At least not right now.
Maybe in a few weeks when I get a little more comfortable in my judgmental skin. But until then, I leave you with this poem which I think is lovely...
As soon as you begin to ask the question, Who loves me?,
you are completely screwed, because
the next question is How Much?,
and then it is hundreds of hours later,
and you are still hunched over
your flowcharts and abacus,
trying to decide if you have gotten enough.
This is the loneliest job in the world:
to be an accountant of the heart.
It is late at night. You are by yourself,
and all around you, you can hear
the sounds of people moving
in and out of love,
pushing the turnstiles, putting
their coins in the slots,
paying the price which is asked,
which constantly changes.
No one knows why.
The Loneliest Job in the World
by Tony Hoagland
Actually, that's not true and you know it.
Cause we're always still wondering aren't we? When he'll show up? That knight in shining armor. Damn tardy but on the white horse nonetheless. It happens to everyone so when will it happen to us... to me?
My therapist gave me an assignment last week. "I know this sounds a little 'online dating-ish' but bear with me. I want you to make a list of 'must-haves' and 'can't stands.'"
Ugh.
But every time I do this I start to feel guilty because what if my Mr. Right isn't a Christian? What if he's a spiritualist and we're the perfect grounding for each other: me in religion and him in mystery? Or what if he doesn't like the theater and I teach him to love the theater and then he ends up volunteering on the board for the local community theater? Hell, I watch football now, it happens. People change one another.
And one of my main problems with men is that I usually say yes. "Yes I will go out on a date with you." Sometimes my therapist and I practice saying No back and forth to each other just so I can get used to it. But I often say yes to a date because I feel bad judging people. I feel like I shouldn't pre-judge someone on their job or their looks or what kind of car they drive or if they make too much money or how they voted in the last election. I feel like everyone deserves a chance to be themselves without my judgmental eye. So yeah, I go out with a lot of people.
"But Ann," my therapist said, "this isn't the church. Not everyone gets in. This is your bed. This is who you go to sleep with at night and who you wake up to in the morning. Be judgmental."
Whoa.
"I'll probably write a blog about that."
And now I am because tomorrow I go back to therapy and I've only got three things on my Must Have Can't Stand list and none of those even have to do with religion or God. But what my therapist said feels so profound in my heart. I want to make a list, i just can't get out of my head.
And there's no way in hell I'm telling you what the list is because I don't want to be judge by you, blogworld.
"That's so sad, Ann," my friend Jess said the other night when I shared with her my reservations about telling people about my list. "You shouldn't feel bad about saying what you want."
But I'm still not putting it on here.
At least not right now.
Maybe in a few weeks when I get a little more comfortable in my judgmental skin. But until then, I leave you with this poem which I think is lovely...
As soon as you begin to ask the question, Who loves me?,
you are completely screwed, because
the next question is How Much?,
and then it is hundreds of hours later,
and you are still hunched over
your flowcharts and abacus,
trying to decide if you have gotten enough.
This is the loneliest job in the world:
to be an accountant of the heart.
It is late at night. You are by yourself,
and all around you, you can hear
the sounds of people moving
in and out of love,
pushing the turnstiles, putting
their coins in the slots,
paying the price which is asked,
which constantly changes.
No one knows why.
The Loneliest Job in the World
by Tony Hoagland
Monday, January 11, 2010
January 11... Did You Know?
So for the third year now, today, January 11, is Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
Some of you may have no earthly idea what I'm talking about. Human trafficking is modern day slavery. Yep, it stills exists. But as evil is wont to do, it's made it's way out of the cultural norm (compliments of the Civil War) and into the hidden corners and closets of homes and businesses. Most of human trafficking is sex slavery. But forced labor without pay is another big problem. And this isn't just happening in Eastern Europe.
It's happening in the United States.
And its victims are men, women, college students, teenagers and children. Yep, I said "and children."
This is a website with stories of modern slaves in my own town, Austin, TX. Check it out.
Here's a blog by a friend of mine here in Austin that lists a couple of ways you can help. There's lots of new websites popping up about Human Trafficking too. Keep your eyes open. Keep telling the story. And let's figure out how to stop this atrocity.
Some of you may have no earthly idea what I'm talking about. Human trafficking is modern day slavery. Yep, it stills exists. But as evil is wont to do, it's made it's way out of the cultural norm (compliments of the Civil War) and into the hidden corners and closets of homes and businesses. Most of human trafficking is sex slavery. But forced labor without pay is another big problem. And this isn't just happening in Eastern Europe.
It's happening in the United States.
And its victims are men, women, college students, teenagers and children. Yep, I said "and children."
This is a website with stories of modern slaves in my own town, Austin, TX. Check it out.
Here's a blog by a friend of mine here in Austin that lists a couple of ways you can help. There's lots of new websites popping up about Human Trafficking too. Keep your eyes open. Keep telling the story. And let's figure out how to stop this atrocity.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
I Just Couldn't Let It Go
So my father always taught us never to discuss politics or religion with friends. He's probably developed this mantra because he lives in St. Joseph, Missouri and other than my mother, he's the only democrat in his whole 600 member church. So I get it.
But I also get really riled up about climate change. It is the number one issue that I'm passionate about. And I'm passionate about a lot of things.
So when I saw the following post on facebook, "I'd like to know how that study on Global Warming is going," my father's advice echoed through my head. Then I remembered that I have 1,045 friends on facebook and this is a girl that I apparently went to High School with who married a boy I went to Grade School with. We're not exactly close. So I didn't think my father's advice about "friends" was exactly applicable.
I joined in on the conversation which went as follows...
Amie: I'd like to know how that study on Global Warming is going
Richard: Obviously it is a hoax!!
Jada: ha ha good one aim
Deb: NO GLOBAL WARMING GOING ON HERE.
Ann Catherine Pittman: actually global warming causes an imbalance in the climate which yes, causes crazy stuff like an arctic freeze to sweep across america. it's actually really scary that it's 20 degrees in texas and that we've managed to destroy our environment to the point that this would happen.
Keli: ...I don't buy it
Kappy: Yes, Ann. That's what I remember from back in the 80's when my science classes were explaining what would happen by the year 2000 if we didn't do something now. Can any of you remember being on tornado warning this fall? I don't think we had one time that we had to head down to the basement. So... who got those tornadoes? Tennesee/Kentucky - places that don't usually see them. Things are a-changing! But I don't miss the tornadoes...
Richard: The scientist have admitted that Global Warming is a HOAX
Kappy: Not according to CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/01/19/eco.globalwarmingsurvey/
Keli: The media is part of the problem
Janis: do you think global warming is the reason I get hot flashes?
Richard: The media is always the problem
Amie: Janis, I don't think the environment has anything to do with your hormones.... sorry. lol
Ann Catherine Pittman: dear keli and richard, i hate to be blunt about this, but you need to read a science article once in a while. i don't know where you're getting your info from but it is sorely off kilter.
Keli: I am not sure exactly what you mean by "science article". If you are refering to newspaper, magazine or articles you have read on the internet, again...that is the media. If you are talking about actual scientific journals on the subject, you should know that there are just as many scientists that dispute global warming as there are that promote it. Either way, you should not assume that someone is not educated on a subject just because they disagree with you.
Keli: way to go Aim, look what you started!! lol
Ann Catherine Pittman: i'm assuming you're getting your "media bias" information from... the media? be consistent, and if you're seriously nervous about media bias, be sure to be critical of all your media sources... FYI, Fox News is owned by biggest media giant of the world.
Ann Catherine Pittman: i'm sure amie didn't intend for this, but i can't help it. and by science articles, i meant articles publishing the scientists' research - just to clarify.
Michelle: Probably shouldn't assume Ann...you know what they say!
Michelle: Oh and for the record, here in Texas--it's not "really scary"! I've lived in every corner of this great state, and just because a cold front blows through from Canada doesn't mean we should all panic and bow down to Al Gore! The words "Arctic" freeze your beloved liberal media outlets love to toss around lately are meant to stir up feelings of "OMG, The sky is falling!" Arctic refers to the area the air is coming from---Canada (Look at a globe-for the geography lesson) and freeze, well that sounds so much scarier than cold front doesn't it?
Keli: BTW I get my "media bias" from...my own obsevations, some of us here in America are still able to form their own opinions and are not seduced by fancy rhetoric, idealistic notions and threats of what could happen if we do not conform. oh and thanks for FYI, who would have thought that a national NEWS station would be owned by a media giant, go figure.
Keli: Hope you are staying warm Michelle!
Ann Catherine Pittman: my point about Fox news is that because it is owned by one man, there is no accountability. usually people who talk about media bias watch fox news and consider it newsworthy. whereas if you watch cnn and they report something inaccurately, the new york times will run a better story and if they get something wrong you can get a better scoop from msnbc and we can always check snopes to see if they've done any research and those are just the really popular mainstream news communicators. i.e. there's competition to present the best news. whereas with fox news "fair and unbiased" always comes with a commentary. and usually really ugly, unkind ones about anybody who doesn't think like them. and that's not news. it's like one long opinion page that you have to watch.
Michelle: Does this mean you actually watch Fox news?
Keli: Well it sounds like you have a pretty good plan mapped out for when your news sources are incorrect.....
Janis: will somebody just tell me when my hot flashes will end?
Brad: Ann, you better hope CNN doesn't get it wrong, cuz your fall-back media outlets (i.e. MSNBC and The New York Times) are worthless and on the verge of bankruptcy. It amazing, ann started with an argument on global warming, and now is on a fox news rant, when she is the one that brought up fox news in the first place. I smell a liberal!!!
Ann Catherine Pittman: Amie brought up global warming and Keli brought up the media. I just responded. And i did so without name calling and sarcasm. But I give up. You guys win. This conversation is making my blood pressure go up. And hopefully you're right about climate change... but i wouldn't bet my children and grandchildren on it.
Too bad that's what we're doing...
Here's a picture of what scientists are calling "Plastic Island" an area in the Pacific ocean between Hawaii and California that is a collection of trash that has gathered in one area of the ocean due to currents. You guys, Plastic Island is TWICE THE SIZE OF THE UNITED STATES.
Yes, that's a man in a canoe trying to swim through it.
Most people know that Miami will be underwater by the next century (when your grandkids are in their prime) but even more disturbing is that "the threat is more imminent than was predicted by the Interplanetary Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) just two years ago." Instead of the half meter rise in oceanic water levels, so much ice is melting, scientists are expecting a full meter now. So don't buy any real estate that you plan on passing on to your kids in Philadelphia or D.C. either.
Scientists now say that prevention of global warming or climate change or whatever you want to call what is happening to our eco-system, is not even an option anymore. The ball is rolling too quickly. We're now in the coping phases. Mom and Dad got divorced, so how do you adjust to living in two houses? How do we adjust our living to adapt to climate change? How will our habits and houses and jobs and lifestyles change? How will we cope with this new reality? Bubble villages? Head towards the moon? I'm exaggerating, but hopefully you understand my point. No more prevention, only adaptation.
So do what you can. Quit using plastic bags. Get some cool re-usable ones. Quit buying water bottles. Get a canteen or a flask or whatever and refill it. Quit using disposable diapers. There's cloth diapers and fuzzy buns and all sorts of options now. Quit driving an SUV when you're the only one in it. If you live somewhere with adequate public transportation, use it. Plant vegetation and grass that's local so it doesn't use up as much water. If you live in Austin, join Facebook's "Austin's Dirty Little Secret" and write letters and vote about our local coal plant and other ecological issues. For more easy ways to live adapt-ably, buy New Day Revolution: How to Save the World in 24 Hours. Or if you're religious and you're not really buying all this, check out A Greener Faith which chronicles religion and environmentalism and gives a biblical precipice for saving the earth. The cool thing is that changing the things I just mentioned not only makes the earth healthier, but is good for your finances too. Being green doesn't always have to be expensive!
Don't feel guilty, just get educated.
And save the world a little bit each day.
But I also get really riled up about climate change. It is the number one issue that I'm passionate about. And I'm passionate about a lot of things.
So when I saw the following post on facebook, "I'd like to know how that study on Global Warming is going," my father's advice echoed through my head. Then I remembered that I have 1,045 friends on facebook and this is a girl that I apparently went to High School with who married a boy I went to Grade School with. We're not exactly close. So I didn't think my father's advice about "friends" was exactly applicable.
I joined in on the conversation which went as follows...
Amie: I'd like to know how that study on Global Warming is going
Richard: Obviously it is a hoax!!
Jada: ha ha good one aim
Deb: NO GLOBAL WARMING GOING ON HERE.
Ann Catherine Pittman: actually global warming causes an imbalance in the climate which yes, causes crazy stuff like an arctic freeze to sweep across america. it's actually really scary that it's 20 degrees in texas and that we've managed to destroy our environment to the point that this would happen.
Keli: ...I don't buy it
Kappy: Yes, Ann. That's what I remember from back in the 80's when my science classes were explaining what would happen by the year 2000 if we didn't do something now. Can any of you remember being on tornado warning this fall? I don't think we had one time that we had to head down to the basement. So... who got those tornadoes? Tennesee/Kentucky - places that don't usually see them. Things are a-changing! But I don't miss the tornadoes...
Richard: The scientist have admitted that Global Warming is a HOAX
Kappy: Not according to CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/01/19/eco.globalwarmingsurvey/
Keli: The media is part of the problem
Janis: do you think global warming is the reason I get hot flashes?
Richard: The media is always the problem
Amie: Janis, I don't think the environment has anything to do with your hormones.... sorry. lol
Ann Catherine Pittman: dear keli and richard, i hate to be blunt about this, but you need to read a science article once in a while. i don't know where you're getting your info from but it is sorely off kilter.
Keli: I am not sure exactly what you mean by "science article". If you are refering to newspaper, magazine or articles you have read on the internet, again...that is the media. If you are talking about actual scientific journals on the subject, you should know that there are just as many scientists that dispute global warming as there are that promote it. Either way, you should not assume that someone is not educated on a subject just because they disagree with you.
Keli: way to go Aim, look what you started!! lol
Ann Catherine Pittman: i'm assuming you're getting your "media bias" information from... the media? be consistent, and if you're seriously nervous about media bias, be sure to be critical of all your media sources... FYI, Fox News is owned by biggest media giant of the world.
Ann Catherine Pittman: i'm sure amie didn't intend for this, but i can't help it. and by science articles, i meant articles publishing the scientists' research - just to clarify.
Michelle: Probably shouldn't assume Ann...you know what they say!
Michelle: Oh and for the record, here in Texas--it's not "really scary"! I've lived in every corner of this great state, and just because a cold front blows through from Canada doesn't mean we should all panic and bow down to Al Gore! The words "Arctic" freeze your beloved liberal media outlets love to toss around lately are meant to stir up feelings of "OMG, The sky is falling!" Arctic refers to the area the air is coming from---Canada (Look at a globe-for the geography lesson) and freeze, well that sounds so much scarier than cold front doesn't it?
Keli: BTW I get my "media bias" from...my own obsevations, some of us here in America are still able to form their own opinions and are not seduced by fancy rhetoric, idealistic notions and threats of what could happen if we do not conform. oh and thanks for FYI, who would have thought that a national NEWS station would be owned by a media giant, go figure.
Keli: Hope you are staying warm Michelle!
Ann Catherine Pittman: my point about Fox news is that because it is owned by one man, there is no accountability. usually people who talk about media bias watch fox news and consider it newsworthy. whereas if you watch cnn and they report something inaccurately, the new york times will run a better story and if they get something wrong you can get a better scoop from msnbc and we can always check snopes to see if they've done any research and those are just the really popular mainstream news communicators. i.e. there's competition to present the best news. whereas with fox news "fair and unbiased" always comes with a commentary. and usually really ugly, unkind ones about anybody who doesn't think like them. and that's not news. it's like one long opinion page that you have to watch.
Michelle: Does this mean you actually watch Fox news?
Keli: Well it sounds like you have a pretty good plan mapped out for when your news sources are incorrect.....
Janis: will somebody just tell me when my hot flashes will end?
Brad: Ann, you better hope CNN doesn't get it wrong, cuz your fall-back media outlets (i.e. MSNBC and The New York Times) are worthless and on the verge of bankruptcy. It amazing, ann started with an argument on global warming, and now is on a fox news rant, when she is the one that brought up fox news in the first place. I smell a liberal!!!
Ann Catherine Pittman: Amie brought up global warming and Keli brought up the media. I just responded. And i did so without name calling and sarcasm. But I give up. You guys win. This conversation is making my blood pressure go up. And hopefully you're right about climate change... but i wouldn't bet my children and grandchildren on it.
Too bad that's what we're doing...
Here's a picture of what scientists are calling "Plastic Island" an area in the Pacific ocean between Hawaii and California that is a collection of trash that has gathered in one area of the ocean due to currents. You guys, Plastic Island is TWICE THE SIZE OF THE UNITED STATES.
Yes, that's a man in a canoe trying to swim through it.
Most people know that Miami will be underwater by the next century (when your grandkids are in their prime) but even more disturbing is that "the threat is more imminent than was predicted by the Interplanetary Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) just two years ago." Instead of the half meter rise in oceanic water levels, so much ice is melting, scientists are expecting a full meter now. So don't buy any real estate that you plan on passing on to your kids in Philadelphia or D.C. either.
Scientists now say that prevention of global warming or climate change or whatever you want to call what is happening to our eco-system, is not even an option anymore. The ball is rolling too quickly. We're now in the coping phases. Mom and Dad got divorced, so how do you adjust to living in two houses? How do we adjust our living to adapt to climate change? How will our habits and houses and jobs and lifestyles change? How will we cope with this new reality? Bubble villages? Head towards the moon? I'm exaggerating, but hopefully you understand my point. No more prevention, only adaptation.
So do what you can. Quit using plastic bags. Get some cool re-usable ones. Quit buying water bottles. Get a canteen or a flask or whatever and refill it. Quit using disposable diapers. There's cloth diapers and fuzzy buns and all sorts of options now. Quit driving an SUV when you're the only one in it. If you live somewhere with adequate public transportation, use it. Plant vegetation and grass that's local so it doesn't use up as much water. If you live in Austin, join Facebook's "Austin's Dirty Little Secret" and write letters and vote about our local coal plant and other ecological issues. For more easy ways to live adapt-ably, buy New Day Revolution: How to Save the World in 24 Hours. Or if you're religious and you're not really buying all this, check out A Greener Faith which chronicles religion and environmentalism and gives a biblical precipice for saving the earth. The cool thing is that changing the things I just mentioned not only makes the earth healthier, but is good for your finances too. Being green doesn't always have to be expensive!
Don't feel guilty, just get educated.
And save the world a little bit each day.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
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